Public perception of a company is often crafted from a combination of creative marketing, the quality of the products or services offered and, perhaps most important, the quality and consistency of the customer service provided before, during, and after the sale of a product or service.
Many companies have deployed various forms of technology to assist associates in providing effective customer service. As with any technology, early adopters will use a new technology with no or minimal interaction with an associate. Other customers will require some level of explanation by the associate to feel comfortable using a new technology. Still other customers will simply bypass any new technology and seek direct human interaction for their customer service needs. Thus, it can be difficult to isolate what level of technology integration best suits the needs of the associate and the customer as well as being a cost-effective solution for the underlying business.